Thomas Haden Church Joins Film Version of Tracy Letts' Killer Joe

Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Easy A) will join previously announced stars Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch in the forthcoming film adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe, according to Variety. William Friedkin, who directed the feature film version of Letts’ Bug, will re-team with the playwright/screenwriter. Filming is set to begin on November 8 in New Orleans.

Killer Joe introduced Letts (winner of the 2008 Tony and Pulitzer Prize for August: Osage County) to New York audiences. Set in a trailer of a trashy Texas family, the play tells the story of a young man who hires a former detective-turned-contract killer to murder his mother because he needs the insurance money to pay his debts.

The 1998 off-Broadway production of the play, with Scott Glenn in the title role, ran for 283 performances at the SoHo Playhouse. In addition to Glenn, the cast included Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon and Amanda Plummer.